I am neither an astrologer nor a numerologist, but have been fascinated by the Lion’s Gate 8:8 concept, for a few years. It is celebrated on August 8th each year.

This date is closely aligned with both “true” Lúnasa (NH) and “true” Imbolg (SH), which occurs typically within a week of the traditional celebration date of August 1st. It is noted as “true” as it represents the precise midpoint between the June Solstice and the September Equinox. For instance, in 2020, the “true” date occurs on August 7th at 06:27 PDT (13:27  UTC). UPDATE 2023: This year, the “true” date is also August 7th, at 18:21 UTC. Some call this celebration Old Lammas or Old Lughnasadh / Old Lúnasa.

This year, 2020, the Sun entered Leo on July 21st and we began tuning into the 8:8 Lions Gate power portal which peaks on 8/8/2020 and finishes (closes) when the Sun moves into Virgo on August 23rd.  

The Lion’s Gate Portal, aka Lion’s Gateway, was named for the Zodiac sign Leo, and is essentially a cosmic alignment of the Earth, Sun and the star Sirius (the brightest star in the night sky). During the portal, Sirius aligns with Orion’s belt in the night/early morning sky and with the Giza pyramids, per the image above by Crossvalley Smith.

Some believe the Lion’s Gateway is a cosmic portal between physical and spiritual realms, just as some of us see Samhain and Bealtaine as a thinning of the veils between the physical world and the “other” world.  It is seen as a time of heightened consciousness, high frequencies, accelerated ascension, connection and activation.

For instance, you may notice a significant change in two chakras: your heart chakra (a healing or opening) and your third-eye chakra (an awakening or charging), increased communication with guides, allies and ancestors, and/or a burst of energy or a profound sense of peace.

Celestial events such as the Lion’s Gate Portal serve as a significant reminder to practise self-awareness and bring attention to one’s journey by delving into some Soul Work.

 Lion’s Gate Soul Work Prompts

Consider meditating or journeying with questions you create or with these potential prompts in mind:  

• How is my energy currently expressing itself?
• Do I sense any energetic shifts in my Heart or Third Eye chakras?
• Do I sense a thinning of the veils between the physical and spiritual realms?
• Am I still aligned with my intended path? If not, do I need to re-align  . . . or perhaps do I need a new path?
• How can I channel the Leo energy and “show my pride” in my Self and in my pride/tribe (however you define that!)
• What is the truth that I must roar to the world, like a lion or lioness?

Look to the East to find Sirius in the early morning sky

For the stargazers amongst you, if you are interested in viewing that Sirius-Orion alignment, here are a couple of pictures that may help you find them.  Look to the East and South-East before sunrise and you should find Sirius just above the horizon between those two directions.

FYI: You will have noted that Venus appeared as the Morning Star in the 2020 images, and is near Orion. The slightly differing positions of Venus are related to the time relative to sunrise: the first pic is the position 75 minutes before sunrise, and in my pic from the SkyGuide app the time is roughly 30 minutes after sunrise. In 2023, Venus is below the horizon and the rising sun at dawn, so not visible until later in the day. As the sun rises, its brightness will make it challenging to see these stars and planets in the sky. It is no surprise that our ancestors called the planets “wandering stars” as they do indeed wander! (FYI, the word planet originated in ancient Greek as ἀστήρ πλανήτης — astēr planētēs — meaning wandering star.)